Press Corner

19 March 2009: Wind energy’s number one spot is more than justified

Delegates left the European Wind Energy Conference 2009 (EWEC) today with the reminder that wind energy is Europe’s number one in terms of new power capacity ringing in their ears. “In 2008, we installed 8,454 MW of wind capacity, making up 36% of power installations”, stressed Arthouros Zervos, President of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). “That was more than any other power generating technology. There are good reasons for the wind sector’s top spot: the range of benefits it offers to European citizens is unmatched by any other energy source”.

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18 March 2009: New power grids essential to achieve EU climate and energy goals

"If the EU is to meet its CO2 reduction and renewables targets, improve security of supply and create real competition in the European power market, we need to extend our power grids and change the way we operate them", explained Arthouros Zervos, President of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) at the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Marseille today. An extended grid with changed operating procedures is necessary to rejuvenate the EU's power system, and will help reduce its operational costs whether more wind is added or not. An upgraded grid would, however, also allow larger amounts of wind onto the system. As such, it would go a long way in helping the EU meet its 2020 targets, reduce CO2 emissions and ultimately make electricity more affordable for consumers.

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"It is imperative that EU heads of state pass the European Commission's recovery plan at the spring summit this week. The plan must prioritise the technologies of tomorrow and ensure a green recovery, otherwise the stimulus will fail", warned Christian Kjaer, EWEA Chief Executive at the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Marseille today. The €565 million that the plan dedicates to finance offshore wind will create jobs, provide new opportunities to make the power sector more efficient and less expensive, improve operations and maintenance, and speed up market deployment.

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The wind energy sector is attracting new sources of capital that compensate for banks' general reluctance to provide debt finance for projects, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) announced yesterday. A growing number of power companies with strong balance sheets are investing in wind energy and there is increasing interest from institutional investors, despite the financial crisis. The sector expects to be among the first to emerge from the economic turmoil. However, governments and the European Investment Bank must urgently establish loan guarantees to ease the banking liquidity squeeze and accelerate economic recovery.

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"Wind energy can replace a large proportion of the polluting and finite fuels we currently rely on," explained Andris Piebalgs, EU Energy Commissioner, at the opening session of the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC) organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) this morning. "It makes good sense to invest in indigenous sources of power which hedge against unpredictable fossil fuel prices and in which Europe has a real competitive advantage".

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